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(No Model.)

J. W; DYER. CIRCUIT BREAKER AND LIGHTNING ARRESTER FOR ELEGTRIGCIRCUITS.

No. 289,630. Patented Dec. 4, 1888.

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UNITED STATES JOSIAH W. DYER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA., ASSIGNOR TO THEAUTOMATIC PATENT OFFICE.

CURRENT PROTECTOR AND ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

CIRCUIT-BREAKER AND LIGHTNING-ARRESTER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,630, dated December4-, 1883,

Application filed Mayi. 1883.

To (6 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osL-lH W. DYER, of the city of Philadelphia,county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anImprovement in Combined Circuit- Breaker and Lightning-Arrester forElectric Circuits, of which the following is a specifica-ition. Myinvention has reference to combined to circuit-breaker andlightning-arrester for telephone and telegraph circuits; and it consistsin certain construction of apparatus, the de tails of which are fullyset forth in the following specification, and shown in the accompanyingdrawings, which form part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable instrument to beinterposed in an electric circuit, which shall either ground theexcessive charge of electricity, due to lightning striking the electricwire, or, if the same be of low tension and large quantity, shall breaksaid line-circuit to protect the telephone, telegraph-instruments, orany electrical cable to which it is applied. It is equally 2 5 adaptedto protect the said instruments against excessive charges ofelectricity, due to the crossing of a dynamo-electric circuit(electric-light circuit) with the telephone or telegraph wire, and inthis case, as the charge is constant, the

line is automaticallybroken and kept open. If

from any cause the circuit-breaking mechanism should be injured, thenthe current would be grounded, provided it have sufficient tension.XVhen the circuit or line is broken, an

alarm may be sounded, and so notify the op erator.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation of my combinedcircuit-breaker and lightningarrester,'and Fig. 2 is a plan view of twoof 40 such instruments arranged upon the same stand.

A is the base. 13 is the electromagnet, the core 0 of which is made likea horseshoe, and only one leg of which has the coil of wire 5 woundthereon. This makes the instrument more compact and increases itsstrength with a given amount of wire, thus reducing the re sistance inthe line to a minimum and increasing the strength of the magnet to amaximum. The extra resistance inserted in the line by' interposing themagnets of the circuit-breaker is objectionable, particularly intelephony,

(No model.)

and it is desirable to reduce this resistance to a minimum withoutreducing the strength of the magnet below that required to make thecircuitbreaker operate under all eondltions;

and to do this I use a horseshoe-core with a coil about one of its legsonly, as set forth. D is the armature, and is provided on its end with acatch, (Z, and is seeured'to the post E by a spring, D, to withdraw thesaid armature away from the poles of the electro-magnets. The post E isconnected to a plate, F, by a thumb or milled screw, G, which plate isin circuit with one end of the contact-block H of 6 5 thelightning-arrester, the other end of which rests upon support i, and issecured to a binding-post,I, to whichtheline-wire M is connected. Thisblock H rests upon a ground-block, J, provided with a binding-post, L,for the ground-wire Z.

The blocks H and J may be made of metal or carbon, and are separated bya paper as bestus sheet, K; but I prefer to make the blocks of carbonand separate them by a thin sheet of asbestus, because the carbon is notso apt to fuse and form points to make con tinuous grounds as are metal,and the asbestus, when perforated by a current of high ten sion, doesnot carbonize, like paper, and form a continuous ground, so that byusing asbestus between the contact-blocks the insulating layer or sheetK would not have to be changed for an indefinite period. It might beperforated in a hundred places without permanently 8 5 grounding theinstrument. This is particularly useful in telephone and telegraphcircuits, as it obviates the necessity of constantly changing thisinsulation, as was formerly neces sary when paper was used. Asbestus hasan 0 additional feature in its favor, and that is, that it is not asgood a non-conductor as paper, and may be used thicker with the sameeffects, thus separating the blocks J and H to a greater extent, andthereby tends to prevent permanent 9 5 grounding. Of course it isevident that the said blocks H and J might be separated by air only; butin this case it would be necessary to put them very close to each other,and much danger would occur from dust or a small IOO grain of carbongetting between them, and would in time make a permanent ground. Vhen alarge number of these instruments are placed side by side, theground-plate of carbon would offer considerable resistance, owing to itslength, and to reduce this I placea copper strip or plate, J, under saidcarbon J and connect it with the ground binding-post L.

Pivoted to a support, a, is the hooked arm N, the upper part of which iscurved over and terminates in a catch, a, adapted to be caught by thepart d of the armature D. Vhen pressed up and caught, it compresses orbends a spring, 0, and when released by the armature D the arm N isthrown back and is caught between two spring-pieces, I, and supportedthere. The said arm N, in being caught by said springs, closes alocal-alarm circuit, Q, provided with a battery, Q", and alarm-bell orbuzzer Q. \Vheu the arms N are down and it is desired to raise them toclose the circuit, if the line M be charged by a continuous current, asfrom an electric-light circuit, the moment the parts d and a touch, theoperator would receive a heavy shock. To prevent this I provide saidarms N with hard-rubber buttons N, so that when the arm is pressedup andcaught by the armature D it will immedi ately drop, and thus indicate acontinuous powerful current. As the armN forms part of the line. itwould be impossible to hold it without such protection against shocks.The bottom of arm N or support a is connected with one end of the helixof the electro-magnet B by wire T, theother end of which helix isconnected by wire S with binding-post R, to which the other or groundedend of the line M is secured, and having located therein thereceiving-instrument T.

I do not claim that the principle of breaking a telephone or telegraphcircuit is new, nor that the broad principle of the mechanism is new,but confine myself to the peculiarities of the construction of saidmechanism, where by greatly-improved results are obtained.

The. operation is as follows: The line M entersat binding-post I andleaves-the instrumentby binding-post B, having passedthrough block H,conductor F, post E, armature D, arm N, wire T, magnet B, and wire S.Now, should an excessive charge of lightning of high tension strikethewire M, then the said charge would pass to ground by block J and wire Z;

but should there. be considerable quantity the 1 'H and J withinsulating medium K, line M,

magnet. B; would attract the armature D and:

open the line-circuit and ring the alarm Q, or. g

D, having catch (1, arm N, spring 0, horselshoe-core O, helix B on oneleg of said magit may perform both of said functions-4'. 6., pass toground and break the circuit. If' the electric charge be due to crossingwith an electric-light wire, then the line. is broken and the alarm Qrings, and if it is attempted to close the lineby raising arm N thearmature is immediately attracted and the arm N drops, while in the caseof the line being opened by a lightning-charge the arm N is caught andretained, as the armature is not again attracted so as to free said armN; hence the cause 'is at once known.

In this application I do not claim the specific construction of thelightning-arrester, as

that will form subject-matter of a future application.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of line-circuit M, havin g receiving-instrumentslocated therein, with a lightning-arrester and a circuit-breaker, thecircuit-breaker being located in the line between the lightning-arresterand receivinginstruments, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. A line-circuit and an electro-magnet located therein, in combinationwith a pivoted arm adapted to break the line-circuit, and latchingmechanism controlled by said magnet and its armature to hold said arm,means to catch said arm when freed, and means, as set forth, actuated bysaid pivoted arm to sound an alarm after said line is broken,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of horseshoe-core C with a helix, B, about one of itslegs, armature D, arm N, and wire T, the said armature being in circuitwith one end of the line-wire, and helix B with the other end,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of conducting-blocks H and J with insulating mediumK, line M,

ground-wire Z, an electro-magnet armature,

D, having catch (1, arm N, spring 0, horseshoe-core O, helix B on oneleg of said magnet,

, and means to draw said armature away from the core, the electro-magnetbeing in circuit with the line, and located between thereceiving-instruments and the conductors H and J, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

5. The combination of conducting-blocks H and J with insulating mediumK, line M, ground-wire Z, an electro-magnet armature, D, having catch(1, arm N, spring 0, horseshoe-core G, helix B on one leg of saidmagnet, and means to draw said armature away from the core, springs P,forming the terminus of an alarm-circuit, the electro-maguet being incircuit with the line, and located be tween the receiving-instrumentsand the con ductors H and J, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

6. The combination of conducting-blocks ground-wire Z, an electro-magnetarmature,

net, means to draw said armature away from 1 the core, springs P,circuit Q, battery Q and 3 alarm Q, the electro-magnet being in circuitwith the line, and located between the receiving-instruments and theconductors H and J,

' substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JOSIAH XV. DYER. Witnesses J. ALFRED SMITH, \V. S. MCWADE.

